The textbook for Latin 1 (Part 1), Latin via Ovid, can be previewed at:http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=fORWW12AoTACYou will be able to buy a copy of this from me for HK$280. There is, however, no obligation to buy if you have already obtained your own copy.

My own website includes PowerPoint presentations introducing the stories in the each of the chapters we will be reading (see http://linguae.weebly.com/ courses.html ). I will ask people to view these, as well as reading the chapters themselves, in advance of each class and will provide a recording of the passages. FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS, THE RECORDINGS SHOULD NOT BE PASSED ON TO ANYBODY ELSE.

Latin via Ovid provides complete coverage of the vocabulary and grammar needed to begin reading Latin poetry, particularly Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a collection of stories from Greek mythology, which has served as a source of inspiration for writers and artists for two thousand years. The book is meant to be completed in the 1st year of a university course, in which students would probably be attending 3-4 hours classes weekly. In Part 1 of the Latin I course, we are aiming to cover one quarter of the book in 10 2-hourly sessions. This should be enough time to cover many of the exercises but you will, in any case, need to spend time in preparation between classes and reviewing what we have already done. Individuals’ needs differ but you should aim to spend at least a couple of hours per week on this and longer if you can spare the time (I realise this is difficult in Hong Kong!). You will be welcome to email me (jw.blmcss@gmail.com) at any time if you need help between sessions.

The schedule below is a tentative one and the pace may be altered depending on the needs of the class.

Session 1(22/1)An introduction to the language, its history, structure and the restored and ecclesiastical (`Italianate’) pronunciations, exemplified in videos of a Harvard Commencement Day oration and videos of lessons taught by Matthew Kiel in the USA and Luigi Miraglia in Italy. Outline of resources available on the Web, including the Glossa and Oxford dictionaries. Overview of the Latin noun and verb.